One year ago this month, South London's Walworth Academy
welcomed a group of guests with a unifying belief - that female
genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage
(CEFM) can and must end within a generation. On Wednesday 22nd
July, we celebrated the progress made over the past year -
#YouthForChange Panel Member Eleanor was there to capture the
event.
Girl Summit 2014 was co-hosted by the UK government and UNICEF,
and attendees included over 600 campaigners,...

Eleanor Gall is the latest addition to the #YouthForChange UK
Panel. As we head towards the end of the Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) process, she writes about why involving young people
in development isn't just important - it's essential.
2015 is shaping up to be a historic year for girls and women.
Worldwide efforts are ensuring that they will be a focus of the
next set of development goals, voices speaking out against FGM
are growing louder and child marriage is finally...

As part of #16DaysOfActivism, we at #YouthForChange will be
highlighting incredible women from across the world who have
taken real strides to end violence against women and girls.
Nimco Ali
It’s incredibly difficult to describe just how amazing this young
woman is – she really is the embodiment of what it means to be a
fearless woman. A survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),
Nimco has been campaigning to mainstream the issue in the UK and
recently started working on #T...

My name is Kaltun, I am an 18 year old who has just
completed her A-Levels. I have been a member of Empowering, and
so I have been advocating against FGM, for 3 years. Our work
ranges from an interactive teaching resource to publishing poems
to being part of the Guardian Campaign.
She is a British citizen of African ethnicity. She utilises the
schooling and healthcare, free and easily accessible, in the UK.
Her country of origin is one of the 29 FGM practising countries
in Afri...

My name is Habon, I am a 17 year old youth advocate. I have
been campaigning in Bristol about Female Genital Mutilation for
three years as part of a youth group called Empowering.
Empowering have been very active in the campaign against FGM by
hosting our own conference and performing our own poetry.
It’s your wedding day. They said it would be one of the happiest
days of your life. At your friend’s wedding the bride and the
groom had shed tears of joy. You thought that would be...

We had the pleasure of talking to Leyla
Hussain, the co-founder of the charity Daughters of
Eve. Daughters of Eve works to protect young girls and women
who are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM). She is also
the Chief Executive of Hawa's Haven, a collective of Somali women
campaigners and activists who raise awareness about gender-based
violence in the UK and the horn of Africa. Here at #YouthForChange, we
were really interested in hearing what she had to say about young...

Hello, my name is Cherifa and I am a young Muslim from the
western part of Cameroon. I am a youth volunteer with the
Cameroon National Association for Family Welfare (CAMNAFAW). I
will be representing CAMNAFAW when I come to London to be part of
the #YouthForChange panel.
Young people represent about 43% of the population in Cameroon.
They are the main force on growth and development but
unfortunately their voices are not heard and they are not
prioritized as it should be. They...

Hi, Im Vedika, I’m 19 and I am representing The Family Planning Association of
India (FPAI) on the @YouthForChange panel.
The issue of youth sexuality and child marriage is a huge
challenge facing our country. I noticed that there is still much
hesitation amongst the youth during discussion on young people’s
sexual rights or youth sexuality with teachers or other elders
including parents.
Youth are the backbone of a nation. They can change the future of
society with their det...

Hi I'm Isla, I’m 17 and from Scotland. I've been an Advocate for
Girlguiding for a year, which has given me loads
of fantastic opportunities like this one!
On Thursday 10th July, I had the pleasure of interviewing
Jaha
Dukureh, a young woman passionate about ending FGM (female
genital mutilation) in the USA and founder of Safe
Hands for Girls. Originally from the Gambia in West Africa,
she underwent this procedure as an infant but only found out when
she travelled to the Stat...

#YouthForChange

#YouthForChange is a global youth-led movement of young people in the UK, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Tanzania working in partnership with decision makers. We are passionate about inspiring action on girls’ rights and ending FGM and CEFM within the next generation.